Meta Smart Glasses App Contains Face Recognition Code; Feature Not Yet Active

Meta's AI App Hints at Future Facial Recognition for Smart Glasses

An analysis of Meta's AI app, which is required for use of Ray-Ban and Oakley smart glasses and has been downloaded over 50 million times, has identified code for an unannounced facial recognition feature. The feature, internally referred to as "NameTag," is not currently active or accessible to consumers, according to security researchers and statements from Meta.

"This technology is ripe for abuse." - Nathan Freed Wessler, ACLU

Code for the NameTag feature was found within the Meta AI app in updates starting in January 2025. If activated, the feature would use three AI models:

• One for face detection
• One for cropping faces
• One for encoding faces into unique biometric data (faceprints)

This biometric data would be compared against a database stored on the user's phone. The database is currently configured to receive updates from Meta.

Recognized faces would trigger a notification for the wearer. Unrecognized faces would be cropped, indexed, and saved to a "pending" folder. A May version of the app rebranded the feature under a "Connections" menu, inviting users to "remember the people you met."

Security researchers Cooper Quintin (Electronic Frontier Foundation) and Buchodi (independent researcher) confirmed the findings. Quintin stated the feature "is not yet exposed to consumers but seems nearly ready to go." Past versions of the app have included interface elements for the feature.

Meta spokesperson Ryan Daniels stated:

"Regardless of any sensational reporting, the facts are simple: we've said before we're exploring these types of features, and what you're seeing is just evidence of that exploration. Nothing has shipped to consumers and no final decision has been made on what to do here, if anything. If we do decide to roll something out, we will take a thoughtful approach and do so with full transparency. One decision we can be clear about — we are not building a central face database."

In a separate statement, Meta added:

"While we frequently hear about the interest in this type of feature – and some products already exist in the market – we’re still thinking through options and will take a thoughtful approach if and before we roll anything out."

Meta previously used facial recognition on Facebook for photo tagging but retired the technology in 2021, stating it had deleted over a billion faceprints. The company paid $650 million in 2021 to settle a class-action lawsuit with Illinois users over its previous face-recognition system and agreed to a $1.4 billion settlement with Texas in 2024 over alleged unlawful collection of biometric data.

Meta reintroduced facial recognition to Instagram and Facebook in 2024 as a safety tool to detect faces used in scam ads.

Internal documents published by The New York Times in February 2025 indicate Meta planned to roll out a facial recognition feature during a "dynamic political environment" in the U.S., when civil society groups would have their resources focused on other concerns. The documents also indicated a plan to initially introduce the feature as an accessibility tool at a conference for blind users before a general public release.

Nathan Freed Wessler, deputy director of the American Civil Liberties Union, stated:

"Face recognition technology on the streets of America poses a uniquely dire threat to the practical anonymity we all rely on. This technology is ripe for abuse."

A separate investigation by Swedish media outlets Svenska Dagbladet and Göteborgs-Posten reported that offshore workers in Kenya, employed by Meta contractor Sama, analyzed sensitive user videos captured by Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses for data labeling purposes.

The investigation found analyzed footage included intimate moments, content featuring nudity, sexual content, and personal information. Workers indicated many videos appeared to be recorded without users' awareness. Meta's Terms of Service permit the company to send user interactions with its AI services to human moderators. Sama is currently facing a class action lawsuit from content moderators alleging exploitation and inadequate working conditions.